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Swiss Crypto Banking Pioneer
Swiss Crypto Banking Pioneer
Sygnum Bank is a Swiss-regulated institution holding a full banking and securities dealer license from FINMA — the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority — making it one of the most comprehensively regulated digital asset banks in the world. Switzerland's regulatory framework, which has explicitly accommodated crypto assets since the country's DLT Act came into force in 2021, makes a FINMA license one of the most credible regulatory credentials a digital asset institution can hold.
Founded in 2018 and licensed in 2019, Sygnum was among the first wave of purpose-built crypto banks to receive a full banking license anywhere in the world. Its client base spans two distinct segments: private clients (high-net-worth individuals and family offices) and institutional clients (asset managers, funds, crypto companies, and corporate treasuries).
The CHF 10,000 minimum deposit makes it accessible to a much broader range of sophisticated clients than institutions like Xapo or Anchorage, while still maintaining the regulatory standards and product quality expected of a Swiss bank.
Sygnum's most distinctive capability is tokenisation — the conversion of real-world assets (real estate, private equity, art, commodities) into blockchain-based digital securities. Through its Desygnate platform, Sygnum enables asset owners to tokenise assets and investors to access fractionalised ownership of assets that would otherwise require millions of dollars to access directly.
The bank also offers regulated crypto trading, custody, staking, lombard lending against crypto collateral, and multi-currency accounts — providing a comprehensive banking experience.
Sygnum was founded in 2018 by Manuel Krieger, Mathias Imbach, Luka Müller, and Thomas Friese — a team combining backgrounds in traditional Swiss private banking, law, and technology. The founding thesis was that digital assets required purpose-built regulated infrastructure. The team applied for and received a FINMA banking and securities dealer license in 2019.
The bank subsequently expanded to Singapore, where it obtained a Capital Markets Services license from the MAS in 2022, giving it regulated operations in two premier financial centres. Sygnum's tokenisation platform, launched in 2020, has since facilitated the tokenisation of multiple asset classes including Swiss real estate, FinTech equity, and commodity-backed instruments.
The bank raised over CHF 90 million in a Series B round in 2022, with investors including SBI Holdings (Japan), Deutsche Börse, and Swiss family offices. Despite the bear market of 2022, Sygnum maintained profitability — an achievement that validated its business model.
Sygnum holds a combined banking and securities dealer license from FINMA — the same category of license held by UBS and other established Swiss financial institutions. This dual license enables Sygnum to conduct banking activities (deposit-taking, lending, payments) and securities activities (trading, underwriting, custody of securities) simultaneously — covering the full spectrum of financial needs within a single regulated entity.
Sygnum's Desygnate platform enables the tokenisation of real-world assets — converting physical assets like real estate, private company equity, or commodity holdings into digital tokens on a blockchain. This is a fully regulated securities operation: tokens issued via Desygnate are legal securities under Swiss law, tradeable on Sygnum's internal secondary market.
Sygnum offers lombard credit facilities using Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other digital assets as collateral, allowing clients to borrow CHF, USD, or EUR without selling their crypto holdings. Loan-to-value ratios typically range from 50–70% depending on the asset, with margin call procedures consistent with traditional Swiss banking practice.
Sygnum provides staking services for Ethereum, Polkadot, Tezos, and other proof-of-stake assets directly within the banking environment. Unlike staking on an exchange, Sygnum's staking is conducted within a FINMA-regulated framework with full custody segregation and tax reporting.
Sygnum clients hold CHF, USD, EUR, and SGD accounts alongside their crypto and tokenised asset positions — all within a single banking relationship. Transfers between fiat and crypto are settled internally within the bank, avoiding the exchange friction and counterparty risk of moving assets between separate institutions.
Sygnum operates an institutional OTC trading desk and exchange connectivity for clients who require best-execution pricing on large crypto orders. The desk aggregates liquidity from multiple venues and can execute block trades without the market impact of placing large orders on public order books.
| Account Opening / KYC | CHF 500 – CHF 2,000 (one-time) |
| Custody Fee (annual) | 0.30% – 0.80% of AUM per annum |
| Crypto Trading Spread | 0.50% – 1.50% depending on size and asset |
| Lombard Loan Interest | 3% – 6% per annum (CHF base + spread) |
| Staking (commission) | 15% – 25% of staking rewards |
| Tokenisation (Desygnate) | Project-based, quoted on application |
| SWIFT / SEPA Wire | CHF 20 – CHF 50 per transfer |
Sygnum Bank is the leading choice for sophisticated investors and institutions who want Swiss-regulated digital asset banking with capabilities that go beyond simple custody and trading. The FINMA license, tokenisation platform, lombard lending, and regulated staking services together constitute a more complete institutional banking offering than almost any competitor in the regulated space.
The bank's profitability through the 2022 bear market demonstrates the resilience of its business model and the quality of its client base. For European clients, particularly those based in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, or the UK, Sygnum represents the gold standard of regulated crypto banking.
| Jurisdiction | Switzerland |
| Regulator | Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Min. Deposit | CHF 10,000 |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 |
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